Ten million died in World War I (1914-1918) (a world record in destruction at the time). It was so terrible that people thought it surely must be 'the war to end all wars'. Then came World War II (1939-1945). Winston Churchill's rousing speeches immediately come to mind, with phrases that have marched into everyday use, like 'Never ... was so much owed by so many to so few'. But deaths were not 'so few', with 56 million casualties in total, the majority this time civilians.

So much owed ... and 'Lest we forget', we reflect on it annually on November 11th around the world - as Veterans Day in the US, and Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth and several European countries. To those of us who grew up with parents or grandparents who lived through those times, it seems impossible that they could ever be forgotten. But we're in a new millennium with its own conflicts and tragedies, and the two 'Great Wars' are steadily receding into history. Now we need books to bring those times back to mind and memory; here's a selection ...